The Commission on Human Rights on Thursday welcomed the Senate’s unanimous passage of the Permanent Validity of the Certificates of Live Birth, Death and Marriage Act, saying it would “vastly ease the burden on ordinary citizens.”
Senate Bill 2450 was passed with a 21-0 vote during its third and final reading on Wednesday.
The bill states that certificates of live birth, death and marriage issued, signed, certified or authenticated by the [Philippine Statistics Authority] and its predecessor, the [National Statistics Office], and the local civil registries shall have permanent validity regardless of the date of issuance and shall be recognized and accepted in all government or private transactions or services as proof of identity and legal status of a person.
The measure will nullify the requirement of some institutions for individuals to secure these documents within a validity period.
Under the bill, these documents will have permanent validity “regardless of the date of issuance and shall be recognized and accepted in all government or private transactions or services requiring submission thereof, as proof of identity and legal status of a person.”
CHR spokeswoman Jacqueline de Guia urged the immediate ratification of the bill so President Rodrigo Duterte could sign it into law.
“The [CHR] fully supports this bill as it will vastly ease the burden on ordinary citizens, especially those that hail from far-flung areas, from exerting their time, money and effort on civil registry documents that should be as immutable and legitimate as their right to recognition,” she said in a statement. John Ezekiel J. Hirro